Altium: How to import board shape from SolidWorks

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In many projects the PCB designers don’t have the luxury of defining the size and shape of their PCBs, due to mechanical restrictions. Altium has many features that make it easy to collaborate with the mechanical designers, one of them being the ability to import board shapes from any 3D modelling software. Here is how to import board shape from SolidWorks:

Let’s say we have a 3D model of the PCB in SolidWorks like the picture below:

First, we ‘ll have to save this drawing in DXF format, which is recognized by Altium. Click on File->Save As and choose DXF file format. In the options that show up, make sure you choose correct views or entities that you want to export.

The next window that pops up can be used to remove the entities you might not want to export. If you have only the board outline in your exported file, your job will be easier. Click Save after making any necessary corrections. That’s all you need to do in SolidWorks. Similar approach can be followed in other 3D modelling software. Before you close the file, note down the unit used for measurement in your model. My model is set for inches.

Open Altium and create a new PCB. Then, go to File->Import. Select DXF as the file format and open the file you exported in the previous step. If you do not see DXF file format listed, you will have to install the appropriate Importer Plugin (Dxp-> Plug-ins and updates). In the options windows that open, make sure to choose the correct units and click Ok.

You will see the board outline imported to one of the mechanical layers.

Select the lines and click on Design->Board Shape->Define from selected objects.